Why I support the Town Center Plan
Submitted by Lee Barckman
Editor’s Note: Wilsonville, Oregon has an approved a Town Center Plan to revitalize and create a true downtown. The plan, approved by its City Council in 2019, had been on hold since the Covid pandemic. The overwhelming majority of residents surveyed have clearly indicated that improving the outdated and blighted Town Center is their top priority, but a small group of detractors has been trying to collect signatures to interfere with our elected council’s ability to use Urban Renewal and make progress on a Town Center Plan.
I lived in Eugene in the 1970s, and I remember driving past Wilsonville on the way to various events in Portland. After crossing the Boone Bridge, I remember both sides of Interstate-5 were fairly undeveloped and undistinguished until passing the northern most exit which was dominated by Burns Brothers Truck stop and repair. “We’re almost there”, was the thought of frequent travelers from the south when they saw Burns Brothers. Costco and Target are now located there.
But back then, from reading accounts of long-time Wilsonville residents, perhaps it is fair to say that the “town” was centered at Lowery’s Grocery store, which was on the west side of I-5 on Wilsonville Road. In fact that area is still called “Old Town” from the era when the main drag, Boone’s Ferry Road, led to the Boone’s Ferry.
But slowly development began to center on the other side of I-5. When we (Mary, our then young son Zach and myself) moved from Corvallis to Wilsonville in 1995 we lived in the apartments across from Boeckman Creek Primary and the High School. Our go-to place was Lamb’s Market, which was a high end grocery store with lots of specialty foods and high quality meats and vegetables. (Safeway is located there now). Around that time, Fry’s Electronics opened, which was great for me because I was an IT tech at the time and being able to ride over to buy various computer parts was a great convenience. Other techs I met or overheard talking there came from all over, some of whom had driven from Bend or Grants Pass just to shop at Fry’s. The movie theater opened next door, and we were frequent customers there as well. Without any fanfare or much notice, the center of gravity of the town had moved to the east side of I-5.
Other things happened - Mentor Graphics (now Siemens) continued to grow and became the cornerstone of a number of high tech companies such as Fluor, Rockwell and Xerox as well as Oregon Institute of Technology that are all on campuses adjoining it. Other industries, some high tech, were located on the west side of I-5 along 95th. Wilsonville became an important part of the metro area’s “Silicon Forest” .
The city’s population exploded with the addition of the Villebois development which overlooks the city from where the Dammasch State Hospital used to sit. It is a beautiful, well planned development with a mix of housing, and some wonderful public amenities. As I remember, when the development was being proposed, it was not welcomed by all. In fact some of the same arguments that are now being used against the Town Center were used to oppose Villebois.’
But, while a well organized group has consistently opposed planned, well designed development improvements, Wilsonville leaders and the majority of its citizens had the foresight to commit to building the infrastructure that supported not just these industries, and the ‘designed for living’ development to support people who can work there. The tax base this created is what turned Wilsonville from a small farming town into a high end, fast growing reasonably affluent small city. We owe a huge debt to those leaders of that time who foresaw and planned this.
Having an Agora
We have reached the point in the city’s development where we need to come to grips with what we want the town to be. I want it to be welcoming, fun and prosperous. I want it focused on “living well”, which means having an Agora in which we can all be “out there”.
The Greek City States created the Agora as “a central public space that served as an assembly area, marketplace, and social, spiritual, and political center.” In other words the Greeks saw having a physical space to meet and do business or enjoy entertainment as essential to their democracy, as a place to see and be seen by other people with whom they shared the city.
Also, and maybe more importantly, it is a place for young people to gather, meet, flirt, make plans, and have a social location from which to make living as they see it meaningful. We all know how the last decade has led to social isolation in our kids, and how this has negatively affected them. Schools of course are important, but it is not enough.
It’s Saturday morning. The sun’s out. A bored teenager thinks, ‘If I stay around the house they are going to make me do some stupid chore.’ “Hey mom, I’m going to ride my bike down town.”
When I was a kid that scene was a frequent occurrence at my house. If we create the right environment, we maybe can again see our kids embrace life in ways that aren’t defined by adults.
Part of that embrace could occur in a Town Center that is focused as much on increasing opportunities for social engagement as it is for economic development. We should think first about making the Town Center attractive not just for old people but for kids and young adults. You don’t bring businesses in and hope they attract people. You bring people in and that will attract business. Young people need to define their own future. We should create a place for them to do it.
Remember this is a very long term plan. No one on this City council will be in office when it comes to fruition. We are planting trees to shade our children when they grow up. Let’s call it what it is - a bet on the future. A bet on the next generation.
My Recommendations and Potential Addendums to the Plan
The northwest quadrant of the Town Center is where we need to start. It is an eyesore with the empty theater and Frys and adjoining parking lots. We need to use that as a starting point and the best way to start is to build the bike bridge across I-5. Additionally, in spite of some shortsighted opposition, every sensible person knows that we have to begin reducing carbon emissions in the atmosphere. A bike bridge (which is also an eBike bridge, something I am seeing more and more senior citizens take up) is a powerful signal that we in Wilsonville are committed to carbon reduction, and that we are embracing the future. The same thinking applies to planting lots of trees in our new Town Center.
We should commit to the bike bridge out of the gate, and start construction as soon as possible. This will put our stamp on it and show that we are “all in”. It will be of use immediately. Kids and adults will have a safe and convenient way to get from Villebois to downtown and even over to the High school. We should build the bike bridge first, because we will be showing everyone who travels North South on the West Coast that we have a special town that is not defined by the division the highway creates. It will mark Wilsonville as a unique community and it will trigger the forward thinking businesses and entrepreneurs to see the potential it creates.
Next create and fund a Commission to revitalize community theater. Lets buy and upgrade the closed movie theater. The PDX metro area has many theater groups who do works from Shakespeare to Rodgers and Hammerstein. Let’s make Wilsonville the live theater capital of Oregon. Invest in building a stage (or stages) and in ongoing maintenance for a set period of years. Offer the theater to established and semi-established theater companies to perform. Hire one or two professionals to manage and promote it. Let the world know that live theater lives here. It would be the best advertisement possible for the new Town Center and start attracting businesses to take advantage of it.
As to the Frys building - unless a developer has a better idea, (such as a quasi-public multi-use building ), I think we should tear it down and develop the area according to
the plan.
Regarding the Apartments along Wilsonville Road
My understanding is they will be developed with private equity and align with community design requirements. Five stories is fine, I don’t understand the aversion some have to build “up” a little bit. We need to populate the Town Center with built in foot traffic, ie. people who live in the Town Center . We should build it for youth. One way is to require a significant part to be “modular”. Design it so that walls can be added or removed to meet changing tenant requirements. Maybe 6 people might want to live in a “loft” environment, and share the expenses. Likewise perhaps some might want a studio apartment to live alone. Or more standard arrangements.
We should hire an architect to explore whether we can create specifications that will make the living arrangements as flexible as possible. This will - 1.) Somewhat solve the affordability issue. 2.) It will create a unique living environment that attracts young people - people who might work in the “Silicon Forest” a short bike ride away. It will also allow for low income single people just getting started in life, in a place they might meet a future partner. By keeping the buildings themselves “flexible” the apartments can meet a changing demand easily and keep occupancy up.
I’ll finish by quoting from the Town Center Plan found on the City’s website.
“A dynamic, thriving community hub with walkable and engaging public spaces, great parks and destinations, places and spaces that connect people to one another and the environment, and year-around activities. “
Let’s make this happen.
No comments:
Post a Comment